The University of Georgia (UGA) declined to provide details to The Georgia Star News on Monday about the attempted call to emergency services by Laken Riley, the nursing student who police say was killed at the UGA campus by Jose Ibarra, who illegally immigrated to the United States from Venezuela.
An arrest affidavit filed against Ibarra on February 23 offered new details about her death, including the revelation his alleged attack disfigured Riley’s skull, and claims the nursing student attempted to dial 911 for help during the attack but was stopped by Ibarra.
The affidavit claims, “Ibarra did physically prevent or hinder another person with intent to cause physical harm from making or completing a 911 telephone call.”
It is not clear from the affidavit how police determined Riley attempted to call emergency services or why police did not attempt to contact Riley to verify the intent of the call.
Star News contacted the Athens-Clarke County government to inquire about the nature of Riley’s attempted 911 call, but was referred to UGA, as the case is being investigated by the UGA Police Department.
When asked about the attempted phone call, and specifically whether Riley successfully placed the 911 call before Ibarra (pictured here) allegedly stopped her or if she was prevented from dialing, UGA spokesman Greg Trevor told Star News the university has “nothing further to share at this time” due to the active investigation into the murder.
Reached by email on Monday, a spokesman for the Athens-Clarke County government referred Star News to UGA.
After the affidavit with details of Ibarra’s arrest and the alleged murder was released, Fox News Digital filed a public records request with Athens-Clarke County Police to obtain the audio of the call, but reported the agency “declined to release the call” to the outlet.
Riley was first reported missing by a friend at 12:07 p.m. on February 22 after the student disappeared after leaving the apartment for a run, and News Nation reported that Riley’s body was discovered police approximately 30 minutes later.
Both federal and local officials have faced criticism since Riley’s death due to the illegal immigration status of Ibarra, who illegally crossed the border into Texas with his wife and her child in 2022.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas denied on Sunday a connection between illegal immigration and Riley’s death, instead asserting that only the murderer is responsible. He also stressed the Biden administration’s stance against sanctuary cities and urged local law enforcement to cooperate with his agency.
Those remarks came just days after Athens-Clarke County Mayor faced calls for his resignation during a press conference held to address the murder, and drew widespread condemnation from conservatives after he invoked former President Donald Trump to explain his remarks celebrating sanctuary city policies in a 2019 video.
After illegally entering the country but prior to his alleged murder of Riley, the Venezuelan man was arrested in New York for driving an electric scooter without a license and transporting his wife’s child without a helmet or other safety equipment.
Ibarra moved to Georgia in November to live with his brother, and his wife claimed Ibarra relocated from New York in search of better work.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Laken Riley” by Laken Riley.
